Thicker Than Blood
by Papa Nate
Summary: After many long years, I'm finally free. The world has changed in many drastic ways. I'm not sure how I'm going to last in this new world of sorts. Maybe my new friend and his strange dog can help me. I hope there is no lasting prejudice. If he is as sincere as I hope he is, then it shouldn't be a problem. After all, he is the Dragonborn.
1. Prologue

**Alright, I know what y'all are thinking. Don't I have enough stories to worry about? Well, yes, I do. But frankly, I got the urge to write about Skyrim. I love this game. It's probably my favorite game of all time. But, if you still are following my other works, I will be continuing them. I have this strange inspiration to write.**

 **Anyway, see my look on this type of story. This is based on my play through of Skyrim.**

* * *

In this land, everyone is so focused on death and harm. Whether it's war, theft, family matters, helping out a friend, or any number of other things, death will follow. If not death, then pain. Anguish, agony. That's all we ever care about. When someone does something good for another, it will pass in the blink of an eye. On the other hand, if there is any negativity directed towards them in any way, they will not soon forget.

I do not desire war. I do not desire the pain and suffering of mine enemies. All I wish for is to be at peace. Far too long have I been here. The dark has a soothing nature to it, but when you are fabricated to survive in the dark, it becomes lonely. Some company would be nice. Five minutes would be more than enough.

My dear old mother sought to protect me. If that was the case, locking me away for Azura knows how long is the right way to do it? Not even asking my opinion, she just lead me here and left me. She left me in this...well, there's no other way to say it. In this coffin. She gave me this thing. An Elder Scroll. What was it for? I know they're rare and all, but what's the reason for locking it away with me? Too many questions need answering. I have to get out of here. That's another thing though. I'm not entirely sure where here is. For all I know, I could be any place on this forsaken planet.

Then I heard the sound. Was that a shout? No, not just someone screaming, but a roar. A Dragon Shout. The sound of metal hitting metal, cries of pain, and... barking? I hear them coming closer. Closer. Then I hear a familiar sound. Stone moving on stone. Are they trying to let me out? I hope they are.

After a few more stones are moved, I feel it. A feeling I never dreamed I'd feel again. I was being propelled upwards, my stomach getting butterflies. Hope filled me. I'd never felt real hope before. It alarmed me for a moment. Then, I slowed down. The door popped open and I couldn't even speak.

A man? But why was he here? Why did I hear Dragon Shouts? "Um...Hello?" Great first impression. "I...I wasn't expecting a woman."

"Oh? Were you expecting a man?"

"No no, that's not what I meant. I was told to come here to find...something. I wasn't expecting that something to be a woman." He was looking me in the eyes. Here it comes. "Hold on a second. Are you a vampire?"

In all my years, never have I once been asked if I was a vampire in such a nonchalant way. "If I answer that, what's going to happen to me?"

The man shrugged. "Well, that depends. If you say yes, a few things could happen. If you try to attack me, I'll surely kill you. If you don't try to attack me and end up being a benefit, then I'll treat as a friend. You don't have to answer it really. I can tell by your eyes."

"If you could tell, then why ask me?"

"I...I don't know. It just comes out sometimes."

I'm so confused. "OK. I'm confused. Who are you?"

The man smiled. "Zyndell. My name is Zyndell."

"What are you doing here then, _Zyndell?"_

"Like I said before. There was an attack on some allies of mine. They asked if I would investigate. Surely, I wouldn't say no. I loaded up and here we are. What's your name, if you don't mind me asking?"

Should I tell the truth or lie? He seems kind enough. He hasn't told me a lie, I think. "Serana."

He stuck out his hand. I shook it. "Nice to formally meet you."

"Are you Dragonborn?" I asked without thinking.

"Yes. Could you hear the shouts?" I nodded. He's pretty smart too.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw this furry figure coming towards me. A dog. A rather ugly, scruffy dog. "Serana, aye? You look more like a Sophia." Hold on.

"Did that dog just talk?"

Zyndell sighed. "Serana, this is Barbas. He is an insufferable pain in the ass."

"Um...Nice to meet you, Barbas. I'd shake your hand, but, uh..."

"I don't have any hands. But nice to me you too. I'm not sure what I think of you yet. Depends whether or not you're a dog person."

I'm not sure what I make of this. A man comes and admits he has no idea what he's doing, he turns out to be the Dragonborn, he's got a talking dog, and I can't tell if he's sarcastic or sincere. "OK, I still have more questions."

"Hopefully, I'll have more answers."

"What era is this?" I had been in there so long, I forgot what time was.

"The Fourth Era, I believe. Why? Has it been long since you were in there?"

He certainly doesn't waste any time. "Let's just say I've been here long enough to lose track of time."

"Alright." He looked me up and down. I'm not sure whether I should feel violated or flattered. The first person I see in what feels like centuries just casually looks me over.

"Like what you see or something?" He started to turn red.

"Oh...sorry, I was just looking for something...anything...that might help me. Actually, is that an Elder Scroll on your back?"

"I think it'd be better if I just took you where I came from."

"So...yes, that is an Elder Scroll?"

"Yes, but no more questions. It'll work itself out." I hope it'll work itself out anyway.

"So...what are you going to do?" Zyndell questioned, leaning on his axe.

"I need to go back to my childhood home. But I'm pretty sure it's all the way across Skyrim."

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" He put his axe on his back and gestured I'm guessing towards the way out.

"Just like that? You're just going to help a total stranger who basically came out of tomb go although across the country with no guarantee you'll find answers?"

He nodded. "I've got nothing better to do. Oh, hold on a minute." He took out a jounal and wrote something down. "Sorry, I like to keep a journal filled with all the things I need to and have already done. So, just tell me where we need to go."

"Any chance you know where Northwatch Keep is?"

"Certainly. It's west of Solitude. Come on, Barbas we're going to Northwatch Keep again."

"Actually, we need to head a little more west. And slightly north."

"Oh. Alright then. I have to make a few stops on the way, but we'll get there in no time."

* * *

About an hour later, I was back out into the world. Fortunately, it was night. The cool breeze flowing made me feel exhilerated. I honestly felt like a little girl again. I wanted to run around and scream and holler. But I had to maintain my composure. I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of the first person to lay eyes on me in forever. Although, he seemed perfectly at ease with me. Something about him made me feel like I can trust him. He has told me just about everything I wanted to know. Apparently, he's head of some band of warriors called the Companions. Interesting. I wonder what's become of some of the other guilds and alliances.

"Sorry if I come of rude here, but how old are you?"

"I wish I could tell you. But a common theme keeps happening with everything. I was in there too long. I imagine I'm centuries older than you are."

"Funny, you look younger than I am. Greatly decreased aging a perk of vampirism?"

"You could say that. But you'd have to be a pureblood for the effect to work at it's maximum."

"Ah, that makes sense."

"Sheesh, y'all talk too much. I thought I annoyed you, but now you're annoying me. Payback right?" Barbas reminded me of an old man that always liked to talk to that one unlucky guy. But if that guy talked to somebody else, he'd get offended and try not talking to him again, ultimately failing since he has no one else to talk to.

"So, not trying to sound too impatient, but what other stops do we have to make? Just curious." Truth is I was very impatient. I was ready to see some family. Hopefully get some answers on these shenanigans.

"I need to stop by my house in Whiterun and drop some things off. Then I need to go to another place in Whiterun since we'll be there. After that, I think some of the other stuff can wait a little longer."

"Oh, OK. You said your house in Whiterun. I'm guessing that's a city?"

"Yeah, there's a few major capitals in the different holds of Skyrim, in case you don't already know. Windhelm, Riften, Winterhold and Dawnstar are with Ulfric Stormcloak, a man who is against the Empire. Solitude, Falkreath, Morthal and Markarth are with the Empire. Whiterun, the place we're going, is neutral for the moment."

"And...where does your allegiance lie?"

He winced, glancing at me. "You see, that's the thing. I don't know how I'm supposed to pick a side. Both have done so much for me, even if they are trying to 'buy' my allegiance. Ulfric is a very honorable man, deciding to stand up for what he believes in, but without the Empire here to hold things together, I'm afraid the Stormcloaks would have much disrespect and anarchy would spread."

I had a thought. "I think I get it. Whichever side you choose is the side that will undoubtedly win. You're powerful, persuasive, and you seem to have a knack to earn trust. Not very common qualities."

He glanced at me. Just a little look, but it seemed like something more. "That's a really good point. Although, it makes it even harder to choose a side."

"Oh...I'm sorry if I caused any stress." I tried not to look discouraged, but that's hard when you've already disappointed the only friend you've had in years.

"No, it's not your fault." He took off his axe and began to swing it around. "I told you I was head of the Companions. This axe belonged to the founder, Ysgramor. It bears the name Wuuthrad. It's a symbol of strength and leadership. I helped the Companions find all of the missing pieces of Wuuthrad. I took them from their enemies. I think the only reason they sought my help is because I'm the Dragonborn. I understand that some people do things only to cause pain and suffering; that they only do things for themselves at the cost of innocent lives. Does me being the Dragonborn mean I have to defend all of Skyrim from those people? I don't think so." He threw his axe, Wuuthrad, and stuck into a tree. I think he's just trying to impress me. Or he's distraught. Either or, it is still a bit impressive. "I didn't ask to be Dragonborn...but I will live up to my destiny."

"Yeah yeah. All-mighty Dovahkiin. Just lead the way, Two-legs."

"Damn it, Barbas! I can't even express my true feelings without you being a nuisance!"

"You could always just do what Clavicus asked and be done with it."

"Clavicus? You mean the Deadric Prince, Clavicus Vile?"

"The one and only. I guess you could say I'm like his right hand man. I can basically be any form I want, but I like dogs. So I'm dog."

"So, does that make you a daedra?"

"You got it."

Interesting. This "dog" was no dog at all. Then again, he basically said that a second ago. "I apologize if I come off as pushy, but what business do you have with Clavicus, Zyndell?"

He strapped Wuuthrad to his back. "For reasons I don't exactly know, being Dragonborn means you have to interact with every Daedric Prince. I have no problem doing favors for friends, provided they help me when they're needed or give me compensation, but when I'm demanded to do something, that's when my sarcastic side shows a bit. So far, I've interacted with... How many are there? Nine of them? I think I've actually dealt with all of them now, Clavicus being the last and most recent."

This guy is good. I think he's trying to take me for a fool. "You expect me to believe that you have actually communicated with the Daedric Princes? I don't believe that for a second."

He smirked at me. "That's the most common reaction I get. I can prove it to you."

"Oh yeah? How do you plan to do that?"

"Well, I've already proven myself for Clavicus. I have his talking mutt." Barbas looked up and him. "You see this ring?" He showed me the ring he was wearing. It was just a normal silver ring with a wolf head crafted on the side.

"What about it?" I asked him, still skeptical.

"This was a gift from Hircine. I had to kill the White Stag. For bagging that beast, I got this."

"A ring? With a wolf on it? Wow, that's such an amazing gift!" He gave me this odd look. I think I hurt his feelings or something. He looked nervous. "Are...are you okay?" I asked him with genuine sympathy.

He took a deep breath like he was preparing himself. Now he's got me acting nervous. "I haven't told you something yet. I don't know how you'd react." Oh no. Something is wrong. "OK, here it goes." He took a deep breath. "I told you about the Companions. Within the companions, there is a small group of them known as The Circle. There is something special about the members of The Circle that separates them from the rest of the companions, but also keeps them bound to them. At least, what they became."

"The Circle? It sounds like some kind of cult."

"Not necessarily. Not far from it when you think about. After I did some work for them and earned their trust, they gave me a choice. A choice that any normal person would want to refuse. But I didn't. They gave me the option of becoming a werewolf. My reasons for accepting what some see as an awful fate? Well, when you handle tasks like the one we're on and have as many enemies as I do, you need all the help you can get. I think that having this power, or burden depending on who you ask, will benefit in certain situations."

A werewolf. Zyndell is a werewolf. "I don't believe that either! The only way to become a werewolf is-"

"Is to drink the blood of a pureblood werewolf. I mentioned that The Circle was special. Now you understand just how special."

"Wait, wait, there are still pureblooded werewolves?"

"Yes. Not many at all, but still a few. On the other hand, I don't know of any pureblooded vampires."

"You know one personally." Time for me tell a secret now. It's like we're gossiping and we only have our own lives to tell about. "I'm a pureblood vampire."

"It doesn't surprise me. If you claim to have been locked in that place for thousands of years, I can see you being a pureblood."

"It's not as great as it sounds."

"I can imagine. I've been turned into a vampire a few times before. I was fighting this master vampire in Solstheim. He had his minions distract me while he cast a spell. A few days later after the fight, I found myself not wanting actually food and hating the sun. I had to seek out this guy to help cure me."

Alright, I get it. This guy apparently doesn't like vampires. Saying the word 'cure' like vampirism is some sort of disease. Of course, sometimes I wish I were a normal human being, but growing up a vampire, you tend to take offense when someone is basically calling you scum. "Cure, huh?"

"I knew you'd say something like that. But you're thinking all wrong. When I say cure, that's what it is. I want to be what I was before. I honestly have no idea if the same process would work for you, considering you were born a vampire. I mean, in what, four to five days, anyone, I guess infected is the word, would be a vampire."

"But that doesn't make them pure."

"Exactly. I'm a werewolf, but I'm definitely not a pureblooded one." He glanced up to the sky. "It's getting dark. Let's see if we can find somewhere to stay for the night."

We ended up clearing out a cave full of those huge spiders and crashed there. Lucky for us, but unlucky for the ones that came before us, there were some beds there. Not the fancy kind, but when is straw every considered fancy. Since I hadn't eaten anything, or more appropriately, _anyone,_ I helped myself to the poor souls that were still alive. You may think that's cruel, but try going even a week without food. You might just eat someone too.

"Hey, Serana. I don't know what it is about you, but I believe I can trust you. There's a bit more to the story of how I found you. Don't take this the wrong way. If I wasn't different than the other guys I'm about to tell you about, you would be dead. I recently joined a group called The Dawnguard. We're vampire hunters. Truth is, I'm not a huge fan of vampires. Never have been. That doesn't mean I'd kill any vampire that crossed my path. If a person in need someone was turned into one and wanted to be cured, I'd help them. If they attacked me, that's when I'd kill them. Because of my trusting nature, I decided to see how things went with you. That whole time I deliberately told you somethings to try and get a rise out of you. To see if you were as hotblooded as every other vampire I've dealt with. But you didn't do anything out of the ordinary. I think you're a sweetheart actually. Nicest vampire I've ever met."

Um. Well. I don't exactly know what to say to him. He's a werewolf vampire hunter. "I'm not going to say I knew it. You just seemed the type to talk with axe and ask questions later."

"I've studied at the College of Winterhold. I'd like to say I'm strong both mentally and physically."

"Trying to impress me?"

He smirked at me. "Not at all. Just showing I'm not a common mercenary. Anyway, we have a long way to go still. I'm getting some shut-eye. I trust you. If I wake up in Sovngarde, I'll know it was the wrong choice."

He trusts me. The first person ever to say that. In the world we live in, trust is hard to come by. If what he's been telling me is true, I think I could call him a friend one day. I laid down, letting sleep take me peacefully. The most peaceful I've been in years.


	2. Trust In Hope

**Well, I decided to go ahead and post this. I really want to keep writing this story. I seems like I could go so many places with it. And I intend to.**

 **So, I have a kind of different technique. When Zyndell is in werewolf form, I'm going to put his dialogue in italics. I'm not entirely sure if they talk with their mouths when their in that form so that's me covering my bases.**

 **Hope you like this chapter! It makes me want to play Skyrim again...**

* * *

"Serana. You better come see this!" Zyndell shook me a little to wake me up.

"Mmmm. Huh?" I mumbled out, sleep still fresh in my mind.

"It's something amazing. I think it is anyway."

I stood up and brushed the dirt off of me. "Tell me again, what kind of traveler doesn't have bedrolls?"

"The werewolf kind. Sleep is virtually useless for us. I just sleep because it makes me feel normal. But enough about that! Hurry or we'll miss it." He started walking off into the woods. I was reluctant at first, but decided it'd be better to stick with someone who knows this land rather than risk it on my own. Then again, who ever said I needed a protector?

"Zyndell! Where'd you go?" I whisper-yelled out.

He appeared right beside me, causing me to scream slightly. I hit him in the arm. "Jerk! Now what's this amazingly fantastic surprise?"

He took my hand and led me through the trees. At that point, I really wasn't concerned with what he was showing me. _Physical contact._ It's been too long since I've felt the touch of someone other than myself. It felt...nice. Warm.

"Alright, close your eyes."

"Seriously? This feels like it's going to be really cheesy."

"Just do it."

"Fine." I closed my eyes and felt myself being picked up. "Whoa whoa whoa, what do you think you're doing?"

"You're eyes aren't closed."

What was he up to? "This better not be some sort of trick."

I let him pick me up bridal style. He walked a few steps. "You might want to hold on."

"Um...okay?" I wrapped my arms around his neck. This is too much. My heart starting speeding up. And this feeling in my stomach. It gave me chills.

"You holding on tight?"

"Yeah yeah, just get on with it."

"Impatient Serana, let me show you something amazing." I heard him take a deep breath. _"Fus Ro Dah!"_ Zyndell shouted.

I felt us accelerate at top speed into the air. The wind blowing passed me was cold, but I was warmer than ever. I got scared when I felt us start to slow down. When we slowed completely, I didn't feel the sensation of falling. I felt him plop back down on solid ground. "Alright, when I put you down, open your eyes." He lowered me to the ground and when I opened my eyes, my jaw dropped.

"Wooow."

"It's pretty amazing right?"

"What's happening? How did we get up here?"

"You see that big ball of light with the tail behind it? That's called a comet. Every seven hundred years or so, that comet is in view. This time, it happened to show itself on the night of a blood moon. Both are blood moons actually. With this clear sky, and our extremely well vantage point, we have a perfect view." He took a deep breath. "I used one of my shouts to shoot us up here. Pretty cool right?"

The comet was passing in the space between Masser, the larger moon, and Secunda, the smaller one. The dark red they were giving off made the comet have a majestic purple glow. I'd never honestly given it much thought, but at that moment, I felt extremely tiny, compared to the giant celestial bodies we were gazing at. "Alright, I'll admit. It is more amazing than what I was expecting."

"Told you so." I looked at him. HIs light brown eyes seemingly glowing along with the rest of the sky. I found myself wanting to look at him rather than the phenomenal spectacle in front of us. I'm not sure what that meant, but it felt right. It took me a few more minutes to realize we were standing on the top of a cliff, the space barely wide enough for both of us.

"Zyndell! Get me down from here!"

* * *

Despite all of my protests, we ended up staying until the sun rose. Not too long. About an hour.

"Where's Barbas at?" I asked him.

"Probably out looking for something to eat."

"Ah. That makes sense

"Speaking of eating, I could eat right about now."

"I was just thinking the same thing. I'm starving."

"I saw an elk earlier. Let's see if we can go snag it."

Zyndell reached to get his bow on his back, but before he did, an arrow flew right passed his face. "What the hell?"

"Well well well, boys. Look what we have here." An ugly looking orc and a group of other guys came down from a hill, all wearing the same brownish fur armor and carrying bone weapons. "Tell me, this annoying talking mutt belong to you?"

Zyndell rubbed the bridge of his nose. "More or less."

"Right. We found him rummaging through our rations. That makes you responsible."

"Responsible for what? You and your girlfriends leaving out food for any animal to get? I don't think so."

"What did you say to me, punk?"

"What do you know, deaf and dumb. It's a shame to live like that."

"Why you little-"

"Ramor, enough."

A man started walking down the hill, wearing similar armor. He must be the leader. "Listen, the Foresworn have no business with us. Give me back my dog, or you'll pay."

"We'll pay? That's not how it works. Your mongrel ate our food. You are the one that should compensate us."

"I already said that I wouldn't. It's not my problem if your irresponsibility makes you go hungry for a few days. I'll say it one more time. Give me back my dog, or you will pay."

The man laughed. "You must not know who I am."

Zyndell smirked back. "You must know who _I_ am."

The man sprang into action. He drew his sword and swung it at Zyndell, him easily dodging it. That wasn't his goal though. He came up behind me and put the sword to my throat. "Easy now, fella. You wouldn't want your pretty little rose to be stepped on, now would you?"

"I should've known. Too much of a coward to do anything more."

"More? You want more? How about this? If you don't give us everything you have in the next ten seconds, I'll open her throat and make you drown in her blood!"

"That's not going to happen." I grabbed the blade and started pushing it away, it digging into my skin. "You're nothing but a spineless human. A sub-species compared to me. Do you know what I do to worthless pigs like you?" The look of fear in his eyes only made my stomach rumble. "Here...let me show you." I sunk my fangs into the side of his neck and started drawing out his blood. I heard his men start yelling and screaming. After I was finished, I threw the dried up carcas to the side and saw a look I was all too familiar with. Fear. Terror. These lowlifes didn't matter. I bet they all had bounties on their heads. "Alright, who's next?"

I looked over at Zyndell. He was a werewolf. Hunger shown in his eyes. He looked at me and nodded. The screams on those men could be heard all across Skyrim.

We had almost finished them off when I saw the orc, Ramor running away. "He's getting away."

Zyndell turned and dashed after him, running on all fours. Before I could blink, he was pinned to the tree, eight feet about the ground.

 _"I need you to deliver a message. Tell the rest of the Forsworn scum, if they come near me or anyone I love again...I'll make sure they get sent to Oblivion before they even know what hit them."_ Ramor started nodding and clawing at Zyndell's arm. _"Before you go, you need the proper motivation."_ Zyndell dropped him, grabbed his right arm and bit his whole hand off, spitting it across the meadow.

Ramor screamed, blood spouting from his wound. He looked up at us and took off as fast as he could.

We went to the river to clean ourselves off. Zyndell was still in his werewolf form though. "Any particular reason you're still a werewolf?"

 _"It lasts about thirty minutes. I still have around ten to go."_

"Good to know."

We walked in silence, Barbas prancing along side us. I didn't know what to say. Back there with all of those Forsworn... I lost control. I killed a lot of them. And so did Zyndell. Did that makes us bad people? If you could call us that... _People._ I don't feel like a person. I feel like a monster.

 _"I know what you're thinking."_

"What?"

 _"You feel like a monster, don't you?"_

I didn't say anything. I didn't have to.

 _"It's just the way of life. Those men back there? They chose a life of crime and introversy. You can't help the way you are. They meant nothing to the civilized world. I still believe all life is precious. But in order for some life to continue, some must be snuffed out. That's just the way it is."_

He really has a way with words. "When I was little, me and my mother went on small adventure to this little village. She needed some herbs for a potion and I just wanted to get out of the castle. Of course, we went at night. On the way, we came across this man and his son being attacked by a bear. We ran over and rescued the boy, but his dad was already gone. The bear followed us to the village. Before the villagers even grabbed there weapons, my mother unleashed her vampiric powers and killed it. The look on the boys face was worse than when he saw his own father being torn to shreds. From that day on, I swore I'd never try to win the trust of humans..."

 _"...And you've stuck by your word."_

That made me flinch. "What did you say...?"

 _"What I meant was, you didn't have to try to win my trust. I gave it to you without you trying to earn it. Seems to me like all you needed wasn't the love of all people. Just a person to help you along the way."_

He will never cease to amaze me. "You keep saying that word. Love. Why?"

We got to the river just in time for him to transform back into his normal state. He started taking off his armor. "I have many allies. I have fewer acquaintances and even fewer friends. The only differences in those are this. If I consider you a friend, I always will. I love all my friends. I'd do anything I could to help a friend in need. I consider you a friend already. Your sense of humor makes me think I'm not the only nice person that's also an asshole. I thank you for that. And another thing, I'm sorry if I seem really pushy. I have to remember some people have boundaries."

"It's alright. Thank you for that. I never thought I'd say it, but if you'd let me, I'd like to be your friend too." The hope I felt for him was turning into trust. I had hoped he was sincere. But if he can show me things I've never seen before, an amazing night sky, a horrific bloodbath, and genuine selflessness, why do I need to hope for something I've already been shown? Hope lead to trust. Part of me still wonders, what exactly does trust lead to?

I turned around and saw Zyndell getting into the water... with no clothes on. "This is cold!" he yelled. "Ah...but it does feel good..."

I find myself rubbing my temples more and more here lately. He drives me crazy. Whether that's a good thing or not remains to be seen. I felt my cheeks heating up a little bit.

"You gonna get in or not?" he yelled up at me.

"Well... I guess. Turn around first." That's when I realized. I was covered in blood, including my clothes. Great. "I need to wash my clothes. You're gonna have to stay turned around for a while."

I heard him groan. "I'm not going to peek. I'll even stay over here. Just take them off, get in the river and then wash them. I won't be able to see from over here anyway."

He did have a point. "Fine. If you come any closer, those guys back there may get to see you sooner than they expected."

"Oooh death threats. You do care about me."

I slid my clothes off as fast as I could. I got in the river, holding my clothes. "Alright, I'm in." I looked up at him to find him standing like two feet away. "What in the hell are you doing?!"

"I didn't move. You just got closer to me."

I knew I was blushing now. "You expect me to believe that? Get out of here!" I kicked him in the gut.

He grunted and started backing away. "Sorry. I'll move some more since you're the one trying to peek at my family jewels."

"I'm about cut them off and feed them to Barbas!"

"I don't want those things!" Barbas hollered.

"Stay out of this. Go catch a rabbit or something."


	3. Ruin It

**Hello good people that are reading my story. Here is my next chapter up and ready for viewing.**

 **Also, thank you to the guest who informed me of how Serana and her mom actually became vampires. I guess since I've already started the story, I'll just make my own explanations on everything. Shouldn't be too hard. And like I said, this is just loosely based on my original play through of Skyrim. I gotta have some actually story to go with it. Anyway, here it is. Hope y'all like it!**

* * *

"So, if we're all done killing evil-doers and taking baths together, shall we get on the road?"

"We most certainly did not take a bath together!" I countered Zyndell.

"Well, we were in the same river at the same time still pretty close to one another. I'd say that's together."

"If you want your body to stay together, you'll shut your mouth."

"She's a bit of hot head, ain't she?" Barbas muttered. I'd like to feed him to a dragon.

That reminded me of question. "You're the Dragonborn, right? That means there are dragons still."

Zyndell nodded. "They recently returned. Some of them wish to live in peace, away from our cities and political disputes. Others, the majority of dragons, want the world for themselves, no kind of humanoid civilization at all."

"Seems like a one sided fight."

He scoffed at me. "I am Dovahkiin. Dragonborn. I'll murder every evil dragon in my land as long as I have breath in my lungs."

I rolled my eyes. Zyndell seemed to have a flare for drama. He had a dramatic way of showing me the moons, a dramatic way of getting me to trust him and if you think about it, those stunts in the river could be considered drama of sorts. "How much longer until we reach Whiterun?"

"I was just wondering that myself. We're going to be coming up on the mountains soon, so we'll have to choose: going around, up and over, or through them."

"Through them?"

"There's plenty of Dwemer ruins to go through. One of them in particular leads just on the other side of the mountain."

"Did you say Dwemer _ruins?"_

"Oh, I forget, you haven't been back here in a while. Long story short, the Dwemer found an artifact, the Heart of Lorkhan. No one really knows for sure why, but shortly after finding it, the entire Dwemer race seem to just vanish into thin air. Their cities and technology are still in working order somehow after centuries since they disappeared. Those Dwarves were truly remarkable. Their technology was far superior than any of us living on the surface."

Unbelievable. Not only did a civil war break out, but an extinction of an entire race too? I had hoped the world would have gotten better, but it seems I was wrong. I'm not entirely sure what to make of this. "And no one has any idea where they all went? Couldn't they be hiding in some deep underground city?"

"You see, you think like a bunch of those scholars at the college. Unlike those scholars, I've actually explored many Dwemer ruins, sometimes not coming back out for days at a time."

If he's really survived going underground with those robotic guardians, he must be strong. Stronger than I actually think he is. "What have you found?"

"Well, if you'd like, I can show you. Unfortunately, I have many houses in Skyrim. Perhaps, if you'd like to help, we can retrieve them all and put them in a safe place."

"Them? You mean, you've found living things?"

"Well, yes and no. I feel like I'm giving you a history lesson. The Falmer, or Snow Elves, were in a war with the Atmorans, which became the Nords, Bretons and other human races. I believe I may have mentioned Ysgramor? The original leader of the Companions? Well, around that time, Ysgramor and his sons were living in the human city of Saarthal and-"

"OH! Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but I think I know this. Didn't the Falmer seek aid from the Dwemer? And they were betrayed and all the Snow Elves went blind and were made slaves. Is that right?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it."

"So Ysgramor was the one who waged war on the Snow Elves?"

"Well, more or less. He retaliated and the Snow Elves couldn't last very long. They should've never picked a fight in the first place. Anyway, the Falmer are now these ruthless blind beings that hate just about anything. They live underground with spiders and the nasty chaurus. Chauri? I don't know. Either way, them things are not to played with. Vicious little buggers." He took a deep breath. "Now then, for our original task. Over, around or through?"

I thought about it. Going around the mountains would take a long time. Even longer since it was spring. With the weather getting warmer, all of the snow surrounding the area will melt and cause more standing water. Going over would be really hard, what with the blizzards, trolls and maybe even bandits. Going through one of those ruins just seems like a bad idea. If there are those bad Falmer and bugs and other horrible monstrosities, I'm not sure we could handle all of them. Not to mention, I've had enough time underground. I was only in a small coffin underground, but still, darkness all the time makes you appreciate the light.

"So... What are you thinking?"

I scratched my head. "I thought about things. It seems like there's disadvantage for each one."

"Well, I was thinking the ruins. I know one in particular well enough to get us through relatively quick. Although, if the Falmer have infested it yet again, we'll have to be quiet. And someone doesn't know what stealth is!" Zyndell said, gesturing to Barbas.

"Well, I don't like the idea of going around the mountains. Or going over. Those would take a while." I know without a doubt that going through seems like the worst idea. But I couldn't say that. I feel like I'd hurt Zyndell somehow.

"Actually, going over might be the quickest. There is a hidden pass not many know that goes in between the two biggest mountains right here. If we keep walking straight, we'll come up on a trail that'll lead us in the direction of the pass."

"If this pass is supposed to be hidden, why is there a trail that leads us to it?"

"I said it'll lead us in the direction of it. Plus, we won't have to be super stealthy. I think I know my vote."

I hope he's right. "Alright, we'll try going through that pass. Just one question. Wha-"

"THERE THEY ARE!" We both looked to the left.

"What the hell? It's that orc. I'm surprised he survived."

"I'd like to bite his other hand off," Barbas said. Without a warning, Barbas took off faster than any dog I've ever seen.

"I'm actually a little impressed. It only took Ramor a few hours to gather a little army to come after us."

Ramor yelled again. What came after him was horrible. A huge crowd of people, with weapons and armor, came barreling down the hill towards us, Barbas immediately turning around.

"Shit." Zyndell started running. "Come on! We're just going to have to go through the ruins. They're the closest."

"Unbelievable!" I started running after him. Even in his human form, Zyndell was fast. Too fast to keep up. "Slow down, damn it!" I yelled after him. We took a few turns and came upon this huge citadel looking building. If I wasn't being chased by murderous thugs, I might've stopped and admired it.

"Better hurry up, Sophia! They're still coming after us!" Barbas shot passed me and Zyndell, making us seem like statues. I'm going to kill that flea bitten mongrel.

An arrow shot passed me, bouncing off a rock. Damn it, they really were getting close. I took a small peek behind me. Big mistake. One of those cat people sprang over and tackled me, just a few yard away from the door. Zyndell must've ran in already. He took out a dagger and tried to stab me. I brought out my dagger and blocked him, inches away from my face. "Your time is up, darling."

"Darling?" I kneed him in the side. He winced. He punched me in face. And again. And again. When he raised his arm to hit me again, I stabbed him in the arm. He yelled in pain. I grabbed his neck and squeezed with everything I had. With the back of his dagger, he knocked my arms down, cutting my hand with the same motion. He stood up and proceeded to kick me. I tried my best not to cry in pain, but it was no use. The tears started rolling down my cheeks. I looked over and saw more of those hooligans running this way. One swung his axe. I thought I was done for, but Zyndell came out of no where and blocked it.

"Serana! Are you alright?" Yes, perfect. In no pain whatsoever. Barbas was attacking the cat guy. He sunk his teeth and tore off his tail, the guy yelling in pain.

Zyndell swung Wuuthrad, knocking the axe out of the other guy's hands. He kicked him to the ground, slicing the blade of Wuuthrad through his chest. About that time, many others sprinted towards us. Zyndell turned towards and shouted, flinging them all down the hill. He immediately turned and chopped the cat guy's head off. He strapped Wuuthrad to his back. He picked me up bridal style and jogged to the entrance, Barbas right behind him.

"Barbas, shut the door!" I heard the door shut. I'm not sure how long we were running, but right before he set me down, I began to fade. Blackness started to show around my field of vision. Blurriness was all I could see. "Serana! Hey, comf on... Dunt bleck et on me!" My hearing went crazy. I heard mumbled sentences, but nothing clear. In a few seconds, I couldn't hear or see anything. I felt myself being picked up again. My head was a whirlpool of nothingness. Right before I passed out, I mumbled out Zyndell's name. The darkness took me once more, as if it was greeting me as an old friend.

* * *

I'm not sure how long I was out, but when I opened my eyes, there was a small fire and something smelled amazing. Apparently, I could see and I could hear the crackling of the fire. I also heard...steam? "Uuuugggghhhhh..." I moaned as I tried to sit up.

"Hmm? Oh, good. You're awake. I was starting to worry."

I looked over and saw Zyndell sitting down next to the fire. "Uggghh... my side is killing me..."

"Well I would imagine. That Khajiit was kicking you pretty hard."

"Khajiit?"

"That cat guy. They're the cat people. Like Nords and what not."

"Damn it. If you didn't lop his head off, I probably would've drained his blood."

"His blood probably drained out, if that makes you feel any better."

I tried to stand, but fell back down and hit my head on the wall. "Son of a bitch!"

"Such harsh language." He stood up and brought me a bowl of stew. "Here, eat this. It'll make you feel better."

I gave him the best sarcastic grin I could. "Um, I'm a vampire. We don't really eat the same food everyone else does."

He persisted to hand me the bowl. "I know that. Just eat it. I made it specifically with you in mind. It's not just any stew. The ingredients are what make it special."

"What's in it?" I asked as I reluctantly took the bowl.

"Well, to put it this way, I know for a fact that the Khajiit's blood drained out. Especially since I'm the one who drained it." He pointed to a corner. I saw the body and immediately knew what he meant.

"Oh. This is made with blood."

"And all matter of meat. Mammoth, horker, goat, horse and human. Khajiit blood just tops it off."

"I have a question. If you made this, I'm assuming you ate it too. Does that make you a cannibal?"

"Well, more or less I guess. Being a werewolf has a way of making you overwhelmingly hungry. In that state, you don't differentiate between your prey. If you're an unsuspecting goat minding your own business, you're probably going to be ripped to shreds. Same goes for a lonely hunter. I'll probably eat almost anything if that savage hunger pops up."

"Remind me to keep my guard up when you transform." He laughed. I took the spoon and tasted the stew, a bolt of flavor exciting my taste buds. "Wow. This is actually pretty good."

"When you're forced to live off bread and apples, learning how to cook doesn't seem like pointless information. Especially for me. I'm alone more often than not." He sat back down in his spot, throwing some more wood in the fire. The look he had on his face threw me off a bit. It's like he was just waiting for something bad to happen.

I'm not quite sure what compelled me to ask, but I felt like I deserved to know. "Why did you save me?" I expected him to reply with a snide remark or something, but he just kept staring into the flames. "Zyndell, why did you save me?"

He blinked a few times before looking at me. He looked down and sighed. "About 2 or 3 years ago, I bought my house in Whiterun. The Jarl assigned me a housecarl, a strong, young woman by the name of Lydia. At first, she was a little cold towards me, but eventually she got it through her head that I wasn't a cold-hearted dick. Anyway, I had a lot of work piled up and needed some help. Lydia offered to help and I agreed. We traveled around for a few weeks, taking care of most of the small stuff. Like any man and woman, we got comfortable with each other. That comfort turned into love. We got married and had a son named Tobias. He was such a happy boy. One day, I had a run in with the Dark Brotherhood. They ended up kidnapping my son. Lydia didn't wait around for me to get back. She tried to take it in to her own hands. I was too late. Lydia's actions pushed them over the edge. They burned both Tobias and Lydia in middle of Falkreath. To make matters worse for me, they hired a bunch of thugs to kill all the guards and anyone who tried to stop them. When I got word, I was on my to Whiterun. I borrowed a horse and high-tailed it to Falkreath... I slaughtered them all. I chopped them up, I stabbed them in their hearts, I used my magic on them. I didn't kill all the Dark Brotherhood at first.. I broke their ankles... I snapped their arms... and I burned them. And it wasn't enough. I still wanted revenge. But what else could I do? I destroyed them all. I vowed that if I let someone get close to me, I'd do anything to protect them. You're the first person in a long time that I felt compelled to protect."

I was speechless. That wasn't what I was expecting. If that had been me, I probably would've done the same thing. I don't consider him any less of a man. He was a husband. He was a father. He lost everything. His wife and son were gone. His grief must have been horrible. "I'm sorry, Zyndell..."

"It's fine. I got my revenge. I saved you. I protect you. That's all that matters."

I had lost my appetite a long time ago. But I finished my bowl. I wanted to show him I appreciated him. At least for this little piece of sentiment. "Let's get some rest. We'll leave here soon."

"We're not leaving until you're better. So get used to this for now."

"All I need is a good night's rest."

"We'll see if you can even stand up in the morning. If you can, we may trek on. Maybe. A big maybe."

"I was always told a maybe is just a shy yes."

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He snuffed out the fire and snuggled up next to the smoldering ashes. "Goodnight Serana."

"I thought you didn't need sleep?"

"I sleep to feel normal."

Oh yeah. That's right. "Goodnight Zyndell. See you in the morning."


	4. Trekking On

**Here we are with another chapter. Please, view it's tasteful contents and let me know if my writing will impress the king!**

 **I have no idea what I'm talking about. It's way too early for me right now. It's like 2 in the morning. Not too late, but when you've been up since 2 the previous morning, it makes you a bit tired. Alright enough talking! On with the show!  
**

 **I hope y'all like it! Kind of a lot in one chapter honestly.  
**

* * *

That whole time in the coffin, I never really dreamt. Just kind of...existed. Unlike normal days, there was no difference. No good days. No bad days. Just days. Dark days spent alone. Some would go crazy. So why didn't I? Then again, who's to say I'm not considered crazy now?

I'm not even entirely sure what I dreamt about in the first place. I just remember a vague blur. Something along the lines of being back in that village with the little boy. But why would that pop into my head? I'm not a monster. I'm just different. So why can't I seem to let that go?

"Hey, wakey-wakey sleepy head. The sun is shining! Birds chirping!"

"Ugh...do I have to?" I questioned the persistent Dovahkiin.

"You're the one that said we need to trek on. Now, on those legs of yours, if you can manage."

I wiped the crustiness from my eyes. Still grosses me out sometimes. How does that even happen? Zyndell offered me his hand. I took it. Gently, he pulled me to my feet. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt too bad. "See? I told you I'd be fine."

He put his hand on his chin. "I dunno... I did help you up."

I started walking. My side felt like it was being ripped off, but I wasn't going to made a fool. "There. I'm up and walking. I think we can keep going."

"You're tougher than you look. Promise me. If you start to hurt any worse or start to get woozy or any reason really, we'll stop. Even if it's just for a few minutes."

I looked him in his eye. "Alright. Only because I know I'll have to at some point."

He smiled. "At least you're honest." He already had everything packed up. All that was left to do was leave. "Well, no use just standing around here. You ready to go?"

Like he had to ask. "Of course. I was born ready."

* * *

Two hours down into the depths of the city, the pain in my side became unbearable. "OK...we gotta stop."

"What's wrong, vampire lady? Can't keep up? I have four legs so I understand why."

"Barbas, go sniff things." Zyndell came over to me. "Alright, take it easy. There's a bench over there."

"Hold on, I can walk over there. Hey wait! What are you doing?" Despite my protests, Zyndell picked me up, once again bridal style, and carried me over to the bench. "You know, I get that you're trying to be protective, but I'm not a little girl. I can fend for myself."

"Yeah yeah, I get it. You're a strong independent woman that doesn't need some man to help you. I've heard that story plenty of times before. And you know something? More often than not, they don't need my help. But I still like helping, because I'll feel like a useless bum if I don't."

He set me down gently. I may be wrong, but it still seemed like he was trying to impress me. Or maybe not. He did say something about not knowing boundaries. It's a sweet gesture despite his intentions. "Thank you, Zyndell."

"Of course. One must be polite, after all." He sat down next to me, reaching in his bag. "I have some elk jerky, if you want some." He plopped a piece in his mouth, offering another one to me.

"Is it any good?" I asked, a little skeptical.

"Of course. Well, then again, you did say you don't exactly eat the same type of food as I do." He did have a point, but I took it anyway. Like I expected, this time, the normal food tasted horrible. I spit it out, wiping my mouth. "That bad huh? I that it was good."

"Well...you can keep the rest then." I tried to stand to no avail. "Damn it! I hate it. Why can't I be better already?"

Zyndell yawned. "Don't vampires have that spell that sucks the life away from other beings? Can't you just do that?"

Truth is I hadn't thought of that. "Well, I guess I could, but do you see any enemies here to take life away from?"

"No... But I see me." He stood up and spread his arms wide. "You can just take some of my strength. I'm sure I can handle it. Werewolf blood has a way of regaining one's strength rather quickly."

Absolutely not. Hell no. Not a chance in hell. He must be out of his damn mind. "Are you crazy? I could kill you!"

He shrugged. "Are you any good at magic?"

"You're just now asking if I'm good I'm at magic? Of course I am!"

"Well excuse me, madam. I haven't seen you use magic as of yet. The only killing I've seen has been you tearing throats out. Yeah, I know, that sets a bad tone for mages. Not all mages use destruction, blah blah blah I'm an asshole, get on with the sucky-sucky."

I have no idea what he's going on about, but if he thinks he can handle it, I'll let him have it. I lifted off the bench and prepared for the spell. "You ready, Zyndell?"

"Ready for business."

"Good. Here it comes." I started off with just my right hand, the glowing red of life being siphoned from Zyndell. His face didn't waver at all. Good for him. I decided to try with both of my hands. The moment I began with my left, Zyndell winced. So he is still mostly human. I felt my side's throbbing subside and the gash in my hand was almost gone. I stopped after I felt most of the pain go away. "Alright. That's all I need."

Zyndell let out a breath. "Wow... that's an unpleasant feeling for sure. Felt like someone was sucking me dry."

I snickered. "That's basically what I was doing." I sat him down on the bench, sitting next to him. "Are you alright?"

"Oh yeah. I just feel a bit tired."

I put my hand on his leg. "We should rest here for an hour or so. Just to be sure you'll be alright."

He smiled at me. Then he reached in his bag again. "Or I could just eat a whole bunch of elk jerky in about five minutes and then we can be on our way!" Before I could tell him that wasn't such a good idea, he shoved a hand full of the jerky in his mouth, chewing like his life depended on it.

This guy. He's either my least or most favorite person. It depends on what mood he's in. Or the mood I'm in. I like him more often than not. However, it seems he likes getting a rise out of me. I was never used to being teased. It never happened. My parents were always right to the point. Zero funny business. I wonder if that's how I seem. I wouldn't think so.

"Are you done being a vicious carnivore yet?"

"Not yet..." he said with food still in his mouth.

"Then finish! Quit being gross."

He giggled. "Hey, Serana... Do you like seafood?"

"Don't even think about it!"

* * *

About 2 more hours into the ruins, we came into a huge chamber. It appeared to have three levels, the top one being the one we were on. The bottom level had steam clouding it. I could hear gears turning and the clanking of metal on stone, but I couldn't see anything causing the noise. "What's this place?"

"Looks like it's a great hall. Something must've caused a leak in the steam power." Zyndell walked over to the edge and look directly down. Once again, I can't tell if he's fearless or stupid. I'm not afraid of heights, but I would lean over the edge of a 20 foot tall ledge like that. "Hmm. I'm not sure. We have to go down there. That's the only way to go." He glanced at me and started walking towards the stairs. "Barbas, you go first. You're short so nothing will see you."

"Great, you make the dog go first."

"You're not a dog. Get out there."

Barbas reluctantly went down the stairs to the bottom level, the steam engulfing his entire form.

"Will he be OK?" I asked Zyndell.

"You don't need to worry about him. Most of the time, he's pretty fearless. Damn near impossible to kill too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It has to do with Clavicus. Too much to get into right now. Here he comes." Barbas trotted up the steps. "So what did you find?"

"Well, there were a few of those spiders, but I took care of those. There's still some of those rolling ones and I'm not sure if it was going to move, but I saw one of those big Centurions."

Zyndell scratched his chin. "Well, I guess we'll just have to go straight forward. Barbas, go straight for the Centurion. Distract it the best you can. Serana, we'll take care of the Spheres. If there are anymore Spiders, they'll be a piece of cake."

"You said there were still automatons right? Is that what they're called?"

"Yeah. Spiders, Spheres and Centurions. And every now and again, you might come across a Ballista. Those are a bit more rare than the others. All are old and rusty, but don't let that fool you. They still know their original origins from however long ago." Zyndell took Wuuthrad off his back. I readied my magic, lightning in my left, ice in my right. "Alright, ready?" I nodded. "Now, Barbas!"

Barbas took off at break-neck speed. Zyndell dove into the steam. Reluctant at first, I went after him. I heard Zyndell yell and the sound of metal on metal. I shot lightning at the first thing I saw moving, hoping it wasn't Zyndell. One of those Spiders came and shocked me back. I threw an ice spike at it, sending it crashing into the wall. I could hear Barbas barking.

"Serana! Duck!" When I ducked, flames shot all above me, clearing the steam slightly. At least I could see where I was going. I got up and shocked what I assumed was a Sphere, making it collapse. "Come on! Barbas needs help."

Zyndell sprinted around the corner. I followed and what I saw almost made my heart drop. I've never seen a Centurion, but I knew exactly what the two robots were in front of me. "Um... How are we going to defeat that?" I looked around and saw a dead orc in the corner. Perfect. I ran over and cast a spell, making him come back to life. "Attack those big robots!" He yelled like a maniac and starting swinging his greatsword crazily. Zyndell cast a spell and made a Flame Atronach appear. With the two others and Barbas, we attacked as well. Zyndell brought Wuuthrad back out and smashed it into the leg. The first one fell on the ground, getting triple teamed by the orc, Zyndell's Atronach and Barbas. I shocked the second Centurion, causing it to pause. Zyndell came around and sliced the back. It turned and scalded him with hot steam. It began to turn and try the same to me, but the orc jumped off the other one onto it's back, stabbing the head with a dagger. I was about to ask where his greatsword was, but it had been shoved through the head of the first Centurion. Zyndell must've been mad. He was in his Werewolf form and shoved the Centurion to the wall. He began to bite and claw at it, tearing bits of metal off the Centurion. The Atronach was blasting it as good as it could. Finally, I aimed and sent an ice spike directly through its head, Zyndell ripping it off a second later.

* * *

"That was intense," Zyndell muttered. His skin was red.

"Take your armor off."

"What?"

"Just do it." He didn't argue. I could see in his eyes the burns were hurting him more than he'd like to admit. "What ingredients do you have with you?"

He just pulled off his chest piece and was working on his shin guards and boots. "A little bit of everything. Flowers, roots, bug parts, you name it."

"You have a purple mountain flower, a blue butterfly and a canus root?"

"Probably. Here, check my pack." He handed me his pack. I opened it, the inside organized in neat little sections. I reached in the side one and pulled out some foliage. "Root...flower...butterfly! Wow. I'm a bit impressed. This little concoction I'm making is perfect for burns." I took some of the spare leaves and twigs he had in his bag and made a small fire. Lucky for him, he had a pot. I filled it with water and added the ingredients.

"How did you learn how to do alchemy?" Zyndell asked me.

"Heh. My mother was into all this jazz. She taught me how to make all sorts of potions. Potions that'll make you stronger, faster, better at talking, give you energy, increase your magika. If it can be made into a potion, my mom tried to teach me how to make it." I looked at him. Then I glance at his armor. "Where did that armor come from, if you don't mind me asking? I've never seen armor like that before."

He sighed. Not like an annoyed sigh, but more like an I'm-glad-you-asked sigh. "Well, the Companions are still at war with this group of mercenaries that call themselves The Silver Hand. Silver hurts Werewolves more than anything else. You can see why we're archenemies. They killed one of the main members of The Circle. He probably would've been buried in it, but they cut him up and burned the pieces. And they call us Werewolves barbarians. The man's name was Skjor. Kodlak, the Harbinger before me, said I was honorable enough to wear Skjor's armor. I had it upgraded and slightly customized to fit my liking and now there are only two people that have Wolf Armor. A lot of people ask me where I got it from. It's a bit annoying sometimes." I blushed.

"Oh...sorry. I, uh, was just curious."

He laughed. "It's OK. Most people that ask me want some just like it. I've had a few try to take my armor from me. I don't think they knew who I was."

I stirred the potion and took it off the fire. I tore a piece of fabric off of a hanging tapestry and dipped it into the potion. Carefully, I began to dab it on Zyndell's cheek. "Damn!"

"Sorry. Probably feels like salt water, huh?"

"I think I'd rather take salt water over this."

"Quit whining, you big baby. I promise it'll make you feel better."

About thirty minutes of nonstop complaining later, I havd gotten every burned area on Zyndell's skin. He was laying on his bag, staring up at the ceiling.

"Feeling any better yet?" I asked.

"Yeah. It took the heat out of the burns." He turned and looked at me, smirking a little bit. "Thank you, Serana."

I smiled. "Normally I'd say I told you so. But...you did let me suck the life from you earlier. It's the least I could do."

"You must be used to that."

"Used to what?" I know he's about to say something sarcastic.

"Sucking things. More specifically sucking stuff out of something."

I felt my face heat up. "Zyndell! What is wrong with you?"

He laughed. "I like teasing you. It makes you blush. You're pretty when you blu-" He stopped mid sentence, slapping both of his hands across his mouth.

Don't think I didn't catch that, sir. "What was that...?" His face started to redden as well. "Did you just call me pretty?"

"What? Of course not! I mean, yes. I mean, well, you're definitely not ugly and as far as women go, you're probably among the top five I've seen. For being beautiful that is! But I'm saying that as a friend. Nothing more. Unless you thought of me that way, too...AHH! I didn't mean to say that either!" He turned over and put his bag on his head.

I didn't know how respond. I got up and walked over to him. I bent down, moved the bag out of the way and kissed Zyndell's cheek. "Get some rest. We'll leave when you're feeling better." I walked over to the ledge next to us and looked at the underground city around us, smiling to myself. This was something to see, but the only thing I wanted to see was Zyndell's reaction. I bet it was priceless.


	5. Cavern Fever

**Alright ladies and gents! I have prepared another course in word form for your eyes to consume. Please, feel free to partake in the festive natures of writing fanfiction. Quite an experience, I must say.**

 **And sorry if some of these chapters seem kind of convoluted. I'm just trying to present the meat of the story first before I try and get to the main quest stuff. As well as add in some other interesting ordeals.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading!**

* * *

"Psst. Hey, Sophie." Barbas came up and was whispering to me.

"How many times do I have to tell you, dog? It's Serana! S-E-R-A-N-A."

"Well excuse me. Psst. Hey, Serana!"

"What?"

"Ssshhhh! Not so loud. I don't want Zyndell to hear us."

What's this dog going on about? I walked over to the side, Barbas following me. "What is so important?"

Barbas looked around the corner, making sure Zyndell was preoccupied. "Zyndell isn't who he says he is. Well, everything he's said is true, but he's left out details."

Alright. Now he's got my interest. "What are you talking about? He hasn't had any reason to lie to me."

"You didn't listen. He's told you the truth. Just left out some important things."

I rubbed my temples. "Fine, whatever, but what details? What things did he not mention?"

"He told you about Lydia right?"

"Yeah. What about her?"

"Well, The Silver Hand blackmailed her. She was to one who told Zyndell to go on his mission. Did he tell what mission?"

"No. And listen, mutt. If Zyndell wanted me to know these things, he'd tell me."

"That's entirely the point! He's not telling you because he is-"

"Barbas? Serana? Where are you guys?"

"Great. Now you got him wondering."

Barbas walked around the corner and started talking to him. I wasn't sure what to make of Barbas. More importantly, what was he trying to tell me? Barbas probably wouldn't want me to ask, but I'm going to ask him. Next time Barbas goes off again, which he undoubtedly will, I'll pull Zyndell to the side and ask him.

"Hey. Where you been?"

I put on a fake smile. "I was just checking out some of these hallways. Never know what you might find." I smiled at him, hoping he would buy it.

"Careful. There could still be robots around." He sat down next to the little fire we made. "You find anything super exciting?"

"Not really. Old plates, cups, gears and some other parts."

"You found some gears? Mind showing me where at?"

Damn. Well now what am I going to do? Walk around and hope we end finding some? "I would...but honestly, I did kind of get lost. I couldn't tell you what ways I went."

"Oh, alright. I need ten of those damn things. If I didn't value knowledge so much, I'd say to hell with that. Those things aren't too heavy one at a time, but ten of them? Yeah, that's really freaking heavy."

"Well, if we end up finding some, I can help you carry some. I'm not super strong or anything, but I could carry a few."

"That's awful nice of you." He pulled out an apple and started eating it. "I honestly thought when I became a werewolf, apples and other fruits and veggies would start tasting bad. But that's not true. Still taste nice and juicy."

"Heh, yeah. Never had an apple." I looked around to see if Barbas was anywhere near. Luckily, I didn't see him. "Hey, uh, Zyndell. Can I ask you something?" Here goes nothing.

"Sure. What's it about?"

"Well...Barbas was trying to tell me something earlier. He tried telling me..." Is it too late to change my mind? "...He tried tell me that you weren't who you said you were..."

I expected some reaction out of him, but he just sat in silence. Was he thinking of some lie to tell me? Was he trying to figure out how to tell me? His silence was enough to drive me mad. "What exactly did he tell you?" he finally said to me.

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. "Um... He did say you've told me the truth, but left out 'important' details. The main thing he said was something about The Silver Hand blackmailing Lydia. I feel really bad for bringing up bad memories like that..."

"It's fine. But thank you for understanding." He took a deep breath. Here comes another sad tale. I can already tell just by the look on Zyndell's face. "When Lydia and I were married, we still did the same thing we always did. We'd go out and explore caves, find lost artifacts, recover stolen goods, rough up some bandits, that sort of thing. One day, we took a job to find a missing necklace. We asked around and found out the necklace was sold in Whiterun and resold by the store. Of course, the man who stole the necklace only stole it to feed his kids. But the man who bought it. According to the store owner, he was rather shifty and had a cowl covering his face the entire time.

"For about a week, we tracked the same man's movements from Whiterun all the way down by Riften, another city, to a cave. The man turned out to be the leader of a small band of misfits. Don't ask me their name, I don't remember. I do remember Lydia getting wounded, but never telling me how. A few months later, Tobias was born. Although, something was off. He was born with one bright red eye and one dark brown one. Lydia had been turned into a vampire without even knowing it. Her last month of pregnancy, she stayed indoors, so I figured it must've been when we were out on a mission. But how can you just become a vampire and not know? The sun starts to hurt like after two days or something. It just doesn't add up.

"We didn't know who to contact, so I contacted the Court Wizard. Tobias had apparently been infected with Sanguinare Vampiris, the disease that leads to vampirism. When a vampire uses the drain life spell like you did to me earlier, it can infect the victim. That's what happened to Lydia. Since Lydia was pregnant, it infected Tobias as well. But what didn't make sense to me was how he had two different colored eyes. Then, I talked to Farkas, one of the Companions. He told me that werewolves are immune to vampirism. Well, not necessarily immune, per say, but if you did involuntarily give me Sanguinare Vampiris, I could never tell. Werewolf blood makes a stronger bond on an individual than Vampiris does." He stopped and looked at me. "I'm sorry if anything I said came out offensive to you. I don't like talking about this part. It makes me angry." He clenched his fists.

"Hey, if that's all you want to tell me for now, then that's fine. You take as much time as you need. And don't worry. I know of the 'disease.' It's a tactic some vampires use to try and replenish their followers." I sat by him, trying to read the look he was giving me. Without warning, he pulled me in for a hug. What he did next made my heart break. He started crying on my shoulder. He wasn't wailing, but you could tell he was in pain. Some may think crying and showing emotions makes you weak. To see Zyndell, a strong man, the Savior of Tamriel, crying on my shoulder makes me think. If you're not afraid to cry in front of someone you only just met, that's strength. That's bravery. Even though he seemed really weak at this moment in time, I still thought of him as the strongest person I'd ever met.

* * *

After Zyndell stopped blubbering, he got up to do his business while I stayed put, pondering over his words. The fact that Zyndell's own wife was a vampire. Or had become one. I didn't hear him mention anything about finding a cure for her. Did she not want to be cured? Was it too late for one? On a different note, could I be cured, being a Pure-blooded Vampire? What am I even talking about? I'm talking about my own kind like we're scum. Like we're the rodents of society. Not far from it apparently. Every other kind of being seems to think that already.

"Serana. You might want to come see this." Hearing Zyndell, I got up and walked where I heard his voice. When I found him, I saw what he was showing me.

"GAH! Spare me, knave! I shall cast ye unto the realm of wickedness and filth! Stay your hand, foul ragamuffins! Call me not a pariah! I cast thee away from this place!"

In the corner of the room, an ancient man with large, baggy cheeks and wearing a greenish, bluish hooded robe cowered away, trembling like a leaf on a tree. "Um... Are you alright, sir?" Zyndell said, approaching him slightly. I'm not exactly sure if Zyndell got what the old man was saying, but some of those words flew right over my head. What on Tamriel is a ragamuffin?

"GAH! Come not near me! Thou perverted witchcraft shall not harm mine head! Try not to vex for I am capable of sensing truth from lies and sincere from phony!" The man's voice was more high pitch than most men. Nasally and lacking of breath as well.

"Calm down. We aren't going to harm you." Zyndell opened his arms wide, showing he had nothing on him. He could do magic, though. Kind of made it a worthless gesture. But the old man didn't know that. Although, he kept saying stuff about witchcraft. Magic basically. "I'm Zyndell. This is my friend and traveling companion, Serana. We promise we have no reason to hurt you."

The old man stood up and rather quick for an old man. He raised his arm straight out and a bright light shown. It was manageable at first, but before we knew it, it was blinding. After a solid five seconds, the light dissipated, the man no where in sight.

"What in the hell just happened?" I muttered to Zyndell.

"I'm not sure, but some of those words he used threw me for a loop." Ah ha!

We walked back over to our little campsite, the light from the campfire seeming rather dim after the blinding light just a few moments before. "He didn't sound like us. I mean, he spoke our language, but in a different dialogue."

"It sounded like how they used to talk back before I was put in the coffin. Those words he used seemed strange. You think he could be a scholar or wizard or something?"

"Definitely a mage of some kind. I've never seen a spell that bright. Not even from the Arch Mage himself. Interesting." Zyndell scratched his cheek, the gears in his head working and turning. "His robes seemed odd. Like I've seen them somewhere before."

"Maybe on one of your quests?"

"Possibly. We're on our way to Whiterun anyway. I'll ask the Court Wizard there." He got up and brushed off his pants. He started to put on his armor, glancing at me from time to time. "Alright. Let's get moving. I'm not sure what that old man was doing down here, but I'm not waiting around to see if it was bad or good."

I snuffed out the little fire and gathered my things. "Lead the way. I'll follow you."

Barbas came out from behind one of the walls, panting. "Do...not...go...that way..." Zyndell laid down his pot, filled it with water from his water pouch, and let Barbas drink. After he had lapped away the last drops, he looked up at us and said, "I ran into some those big white bugs and a few Falmers. I killed the bugs, but the Falmers were different. I ran for it. I'm not sure if they followed though."

Zyndell eyed me. "No time to lose now. Let's go."

* * *

We walked for a long, long time. Surprisingly, I wasn't tired, but I could tell Zyndell was emotionally drained. His eyes were sunken and black. He was paler than a ghost. I decided to ask him if he wanted to stop. "Zyndell, do we need to stop?"

I barely had time to finish before he jumped in. "No. We'll be completely through the ruins in about an hour. If we keep going at this pace, we'll make it."

I walked up next to him. "There's no shame in taking a breather."

He gave me a blank stare. "If you're tired, we can stop. Otherwise, I'd like to keep moving."

I sighed to myself. "I'm not that tired. I'm honestly just worried about you."

That made him stop dead in his tracks. Barbas stopped too, marking his territory a few feet away. Zyndell made sure Barbas wasn't looking and leaned over to me. "You really want to know who I am?" he whispered in my ear. Glancing over at Barbas, I nodded. "I'm either extremely loved or hated. Not really any area in between. I'm not sure why that is, but if I had to guess, I'd say it's because I'm Dragonborn." About that time, Barbas started prancing back over to us. "I'll explain more later."

"Alright humans, let's get a move on. I feel better. You should wiz in that pot over there. It felt right. Satisfying."

"Barbas. I'm going to feed you to a troll."

"Ouch. That hurt, Zynnie."

Barbas is either really good a playing dumb or he's just plain old dumb. If he really was some sort of Daedra, I'm willing to be he gets his information from Clavicus. Maybe they're still connected somehow. Daedra mind control. Is that a real thing? If so, that might be a possible reason. Or he could just be really good at snooping. Eavesdropping when he's not supposed to.

While Barbas and Zyndell argued about who knows what, I kept going. Zyndell was a bit wrong. I could see what appeared to be sunlight leaking into the bleak hallway. "Hey, guys. Quit bickering. We're a lot closer than we realized."

Zyndell walked passed me, Barbas following me. "After we help Serana, I'm taking your ass back to Clavicus. He can have you back."

"That ain't the deal. You have to get the axe first."

"What axe?" I asked, catching up to them.

"Some axe Clavicus wants. The Rueful Axe. His special Daedric Artifact. I think I might just take you back first and keep the axe. I'm a bit of a collector after all."

"Your collecting habit is going to get you killed if you get on the wrong side of a Daedric Prince. You know that right?"

"I'm not afraid of any Daedric Prince. Or death."

"Only spiders. That's right."

"I'm not afraid of spiders. Just a bit creeped out. And it's not even spiders! It's those damn Chaurus. Nasty pieces of work."

"Great. We made it to other side. That means more sunlight."

"Put your hood on then. It's gonna be bright and shiny outside. Nice, summer weather."

I nudged Zyndell. Being a smart ass. "How much further til we get to Whiterun?"

"Well. No telling. If we have no more setbacks, it should only take a couple hours. If our luck stays sour, we may never get there."

I looked out across the hilly countryside in front of us. Just a feeling, but I'm a bit weary about going out into open territory. Luck be on our side.


	6. To Whiterun

**Hello! Hello! One and all! I bid thee welcome to the Sixth Chapter of the greatest story every written! Well, technically, it's a fanfiction, but none the less! Still wonderful!**

* * *

I wasn't entirely sure how Zyndell's story was going to end. It could all just be personal stuff that he doesn't want to talk about. If that's the case, Barbas is just a crazy mutt. Which seems to be true anyway. On the other hand, it could be just the opposite. Barbas may end up being right.

"So, now that we're out and about back outside, now's a good time to take a break."

"You just spent over an hour walking pretty fast and just now want to take a break? You're something else."

"I'd like to think I have good stamina." Zyndell set his stuff down and sat on a log. "Don't just stand there. Have a seat."

I did what he said and sat down next to him. I'm not exactly sure why my sudden suspicion dawned on me. I actually liked Zyndell. It was almost too easy. Then again, if a hunter beacons an elk with the promise of follows, he may end up having a sword waiting behind his back.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your family like, Serana?"

That question caught me a little off guard. I was so concentrated on how shitty Zyndell's life was, I forgot about my own. "Heh... there's really no easy was to describe them."

"Well, we have a little time to rest here. Just give me a summary or something."

I sighed, thinking of a place to start. "Well, my dad is kind of a maniac. He hates everyone not like him. And by not like him I mean-"

"Not a vampire."

"Yeah... He's a Vampire Lord. Very powerful, very dangerous, but also very stupid. Well, not exactly stupid. He's always been a bit blinded by his hatred. Especially towards humans. I could never understand why... Until the incident with the boy."

I looked at Zyndell and could tell I had his undivided attention. His eyes were staring into my very soul. "Go on," he said softly.

I was about to continue, but for some reason, I hesitated. "Maybe I'm crazy, but I just have this feeling."

Zyndell's face was stone still. "What kind of feeling?"

Another feeling crept up along with the new one. "Why does it matter exactly?"

He smiled. This smile felt different. Phony. I noticed the slightest twitch in Zyndell's right eye. "I was just wondering. Trying to help you and all."

I'm not sure why, but I tensed up. "Listen, Zyndell. I'm not exactly sure why you're so bent on helping me, but don't you have more important things to do? You're the Dragonborn. Isn't there evil dragons left to kill?"

Zyndell clenched his fists. Never a good sign. "Let me get something straight. Are you trying to refuse my help? And after I've gotten you this far."

"That's not it at all. I'm just worried I've been keeping you from your own life. I mean... why would you care so much about me? I'm not really that important."

I saw Zyndell unclench his fist. His eyes turned from hazy and tense to soft and kind once again. "I'm sorry..." He got stood up and paced around our little break area. "Werewolf blood has a way making anger just rise up out of nowhere."

I stood up next to him. "Hey, it's alright."

He sat back down, bring me with him. "It's time I told you some things."

"Are you going to answer my questions?"

"I'll tell you everything."

I put my hand on his. "It can wait until we get to Whiterun. I don't want anyone with listening ears to hear."

Zyndell looked at me, his eyes glassy. "Thank you. It means a lot to see someone who actually cares."

I stood up and brushed myself off. "Come on. Let's get going." I offered my hand. He grabbed it and I pulled him up. We were never this close. At least, facing one another. He was more than a head taller than I was. "You're actually a bit taller than I realized."

"Heh. Well, believe it or not, I think I'm the shortest man in my family. My dad was like 7 foot tall."

"How tall does that make you?" I asked, trying not to sound to pushy.

"Well, last I checked I wasn't even 6 foot. I'm like 5 foot 11 I think. I'm taller than you is all I know."

"Haha, very funny. Now then, come on. No use standing around here."

"You got that right." He grabbed his stuff and started walking. I stepped in stride with him.

I wasn't exactly sure how things would turn out, but I knew one thing. The Zyndell I know isn't some low life criminal. Sure, he may have done some things that society may deem less than favorable, but that doesn't mean your intentions were malicious. I knew in my heart Zyndell's intentions were good. I hoped so, at least.

* * *

It didn't take us too long to get to the city. Whiterun wasn't anything like I had expected. I can't quite remember if there was a city here before. I had my hood up not to attract too much attention. That and I can't handle the sun. It felt like I was going to roast alive just being in it. I'd take the night over day anytime.

"This building right here is Warmaiden's. Fairly decent supplies, most of the time. That building over there is The Drunken Huntsman. They have all types of goods specifically for hunters. Bows, arrows, light armor, daggers, dried meats, all that type of stuff."

"Wow. It's actually a bit bigger than I imagined."

"It's not the biggest city in Skyrim, but it's not the smallest either. To tell you the truth, it's a little worse for wear. Bandits and trolls have been coming around all too frequently. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were looking for something."

"Are trolls that smart?"

"Good point. Maybe not the trolls, but the bandits at least."

About that time, two guards ran up to us with their swords drawn. "Dragonborn! Come quickly!"

"What? What's this about?"

"No time. You'll see in a moment."

We ran along side the guards. Zyndell had a look of frustration. We ran up a set of stairs and saw what was going on. A group of bandits was attacking some sort of meed hall on a separate little level of ground. There were already others fighting back, but the sheer number of the bandits was enough. They were being massacred.

Zyndell took Wuuthrad off his back and swung it at the nearest bandit, burying it deep into his chest. A few of the saw this and charged him, only to be greeted by the swords of the two guards. "Serana, you stay back. I don't want you to have to reveal yourself. You should understand why."

"But what if you get into trouble?"

"Just go! I'll be fine." He handed me a key. "That little house by Warmaiden's. That's my house. Go there. Now!"

Before I could object, Zyndell was already fighting once more. As much as wanted to help, I knew I couldn't. One good deed wouldn't change the peoples' mind. Vampires are scum in their eyes.

I shimmied down the stairs. When I turned the corner, I saw some bandits harassing young girls. To make matters worse, a few were breaking down Zyndell's door. I knew I had to do something. Those girls aren't going to hold out forever. And neither is Zyndell's door. I gritted my teeth. I knew what I had to do.

In both hands, I began to conjure one of my ice spells. I shot two ice blades, each hitting their mark, right between the eyes of two of the bandits. That got the others attention. Five more. I switched to lightning in my left. One ran at me, swinging his greatsword like a maniac. I shocked him and made him lose his balance. I took out my dagger and jammed it into his chest. Another one came up and kicked me down. I shot an ice blade through his leg, the man writhing in pain. I grabbed my dagger and sunk it in the man's throat, blooding leaking onto my fingers.

"What the hell? This bitch ain't messing around. Get her!"

The rest charged me, but I stopped them dead in their tracks. I licked the blood off my hand, staring directly at them.

"Her...her eyes..."

"She's a...a..."

I smirked. "Vampire." I lunged and sunk my fangs into the first one, his body shriveling up. The last two stared in horror. I threw aside the carcass and stared at the last two. They turned around and ran. Before they reached the gate, a set of arrows shot into them. I didn't bother to look at who shot them. I bolted for Zyndell's house.

* * *

It had been about an hour. Zyndell hadn't shown up. I sat in the corner of his bedroom, the whole house dark and cold. My thoughts were getting the best of me. What if someone had seen me? What if Zyndell didn't make it out alive? What if-

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock. I stayed quiet. A moment later, another loud knock. "Serana, open up. It's me."

I stood up and started towards the door, softly. I climbed down the stairs and made my way over. "Serana, come on. It's just me. I promise."

I opened the door to find Zyndell. "Oh thank goodness." Without thinking I hugged him.

"Whoa." He hugged me back. "Hey now, I'm alright. Just a few scratches and bruises at the most." He lead me back inside and shut the door. "You didn't light the fire?"

"I got a little scared. I..."

"Don't worry about it. I saw."

"You were the one that shot the other two."

"Well, not just me. A fellow companion, Aela, helped me out with one of them. She's a much better archer."

Zyndell began to take off his armor. Anxiously, I sat down in one of the chairs by the fire pit. I decided to help out a bit. I cast some flames on the pit. It caught fire and shown brilliantly, giving life to the lonely cabin. "There. That's better."

"Not bad. It'll warm up shortly." Zyndell walked over to a little room behind the stairs. He came back out with a little skin bag. "This is lavender. I liked to throw a little bit into the fire. Makes the whole house smell nice."

I looked at him. What is this new feeling? I felt all warm. It could just be the fire, but you never know. "Thanks Zyndell."

"For what?"

"For helping me."

He grinned at me. "That's what friends are for." He put the lavender down and grabbed a little coin purse. "I'm going to go get a few things from the market. When I get back, I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Hey, before you go, where's Barbas?"

"I sent him back to Clavicus for now. If I need him, he'll know."

I nodded. Zyndell left, leaving me alone once again. This time, I didn't feel scared or lonely. I felt warm and safe. I'm ready. I'm ready for Zyndell to empty his heart and soul to me. And I'll do the same. I don't feel like I need to, but I do feel he deserves to know. I wonder how it'll turn out. Only way find out.


End file.
